Safety appliance for elevators.



J. MUNKACSY.

SAFETY APPLIANGE FOR ELEVATORS.

APPMCATION11LEDMAR-3-1914.

1,1 17,887. Patented Nov.17, 1914.

Fig. l.

WTE@ STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOI-IN IVIUNKACSY, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO FRANK J'. FIBISI-I, OF BOGOTA, NEW JERSEY.

SAFETY APPLIANCE FOR'ELEVATORS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented N ov. 17, 1914.

Application led March 3, 1914. Serial No. 822,153.

T @ZZ whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOHN MUNKACSY, subject of the King of Hungary, resident of Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have made a certain new and useful invention in Safety Appliances for Elevators; and I declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

TEigure 1 is a central vertical section of an elevator on the line 1-1, Fig. 2, showing the invention as applied. F ig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the elevator, partly broken away, showing the invention as applied and partly in section. Fig. 3 is a detail side view of the rack and pinion. Fig. il is a detail bottom plan view partly broken away, of the invention as applied showing a modification. Fig. 5 is a detail plan view of the double pawl of the modification.

The invention has relation to safety appliances for elevators, having for its object to provide improved mechanically controlled means for stopping the elevator car instantly or nearly so upon release or breakage of the support for said car.

Other objects and advantages will hereinafter appear.

rI'he invention consists in the novel construction and combinations of parts, as hereinafter set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating the invention, the numeral 1 designates an elevator car, 2 the usual support from which the car is suspended, 3 the usual vertical rack in the elevator shaft, and d the pinion working in said rack and carried by the elevator car, below the same.

5 is a clutch member, preferably a ratchet wheel, mounted upon the shaft 6 of the pinion and rotating with said shaft.

S is a complementary clutch member, in the present case a pawl, for engagement with said ratchet, said pawl being also carried by the elevator car, below the same, and being normally held released from the ratchet by suitable means of connection with the overhead support, said connection being preferably a flexible rope or wire 9, provided with a protecting covering or tube 10. The

support 2 includes usually a iiexible link 11, normally upright, the flexible connection 9 having attachment at the upper end of the link, or so that when the support is in normal position tension will be exerted upon the wire 9 to lift the pawl from the ratchet, but should release or breakage of the support occur, link 11 will drop, tension upon the wire being released, and the pawl will immediately fall into engagement with the ratchet and check the rotation of the same, of the shaft and of the pinion working in the rack, and hold the pinion and the elevator car stationary, so far as descent of the car in the elevator shaft is concerned. A spring 11 will usually be employed to insure engagement of the pawl with the ratchet wheel in the case stated.

In order to relieve the strain upon the pinion and to provide braking means co operating with the clutch means in bringing the car to a stop, said braking means having stronger engagement the more the pawl may yield in its ratchet, the pawl is usually provided with a pin and slot connection 12 with the elevator car, a slide bar 13 having at one end a pivotal connection 11i with the tail of the pawl, said slide bar having movement in a bracket or support 15 secured to the car bottom and at its other end having a guide bracket 16 normally engaging an upright bar 17 in the elevator shaft, opposite the rack bar. In this way when the pawl is engaged with the ratchet, the slide bar will force the guide bracket against the bar 17, so that a braking action of the bracket upon the said bar will be effected. A comparatively slight movement of the pawl is allowed.

In Fig. 2 of the drawings the application of the invention is shown to old elevator apparatus, and in Fig. 4 to new elevator apparatus. In the latter case, duplicate pawl and ratchet means 5 and S will be provided, the two pawls having a transverse connection rod 1S and the slide bar 13 having attachment centrally of said rod. In this way the guide bar 17 at. the same side of the elevator shaft as the rack bar may be dispensed with, the rack bar 3 acting also as a guide bar. Both pawls are released by one wire 9, said wire having attachment centrally of a rod 19, connecting the two pawls.

The invention is to be applied below the floor of the car, to insure the stoppage even though the upper part of the car may be torn off with the overhead support. The overhead support 2 is preferably provided With a spring connection 20, to exert .down- Ward tension upon said support, so that in case of any unusual yielding of the support Without positive breakage thereof, the safety clutch will be set, and the elevator stopped.

Vhat I claim is l. A rvsafety appliance for velevators having a vertical rack 'bar and an opposite vertical guidefbar in `theelevator shaft, a pinion carried bythe car and working yi-n said rack bar, and an overhead support xfor 'the car, said appliance comprising a ratchet rigidly mounted upon the shaft of said pinion, a paWl upon the car, means connecting said pawl with said support and normally holding said `pavvl from engagement with said ratchet, and a vbrake shoe having connection with said pawll and adapted for engagement with saidvguide bar.

2. A safety appliance for elevators lhaving a vertical `rackbar andan opposite vertical guide vbar inthe Aelevator shaft, a :pinion carried bythe car below the floor'ofthe same and Working in said rack bar, and an overhead support for the car, said appliance comprising a ratchet rigidly mounted upon the shaft of said pinion, a pavvl slidably mounted beneath the car, means connecting said paWl With said support and vnormally gagement with said guide bar.

3. A safety appliance for elevators having a lvertical rack bar and an opposite vertical guide bar in the elevator shaft, a pinion carried by theear and Working in said rack bar, and overhead supportJ for the car, said appliance comprising a. ratchet rigidly mounted upon the shaft of said pinion, a ypawl havingslot and pin connection with the floor Aof the car', -means connecting said pa-vvl With said support and normally holding said paWl from engagement with said ratchet, a guide bearing beneath the floor of the car, a slide having movement v,therein and pivotal connection withsaid paWl, and a brake shoe upon said slide adapted for engagement Wit-h said guide bar.

'In 'testimony whereof I .aflix my signature, in presence of A'two Witnesses.

JOHN MUNKACSY. lVitnesses:

FRANK J. Freien, 'EMIL JGERMANUS.

Copies of vthispata-,ntmay Abe yobtained for five cents each,`by addressing :the 'Gommssoner of llatents, Washington, D. C. 

